Getting to know… Scott Goodstal

Did you know Loyola’s own Executive Chef once owned a restaurant called 2nd Edition in Catskill, New York (near Albany), home of Mike Tyson? Born and raised until he was twenty-eight in upstate New York, Scott Goodstal is a one of kind chef with an interesting background.

While he has only been an Executive Chef for sixteen years, for thirty-four years, Goodstal has been involved with the cooking business in some way and has done nothing else since he was fourteen years old. Before leaving New York to continue on with his passion for cooking, Goodstal graduated from a culinary institute known as the Harvard of all culinary institutes to Julia Child called the Culinary Institute of America, or CIA believe it or not, where the famous Cat Cora of Food Network’s Iron Chef America graduated in 1995. (I suggest that anyone who is interested in cooking as a passion that they not only sit a spell with Scott Goodstal, but also visit the CIA’s website, http://www.ciachef.edu/.) After graduating from the CIA, Goodstal left New York after owning 2nd Edition for Florida then left for Hawaii where he worked at a Marriot until he was transferred in 1994 to New Orleans. In the summer of 2010 he was hired as the Executive Chef of Loyola’s Dining Services. In August of 2012, Scott Goodstal will have been here for two years proudly serving up breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the students of Loyola.

Scott Goodstal indeed has one exciting history, what else is there to this intriguing character? Well, I was able to stand and watch out into the OR buzz as we discussed not only his education and achievements, but also some fun facts that truly show off his character. One question I was dying to ask him was who cook’s at home? Being a chef, he does all the cooking, right? Not so. There is a group effort between himself and his wife when it comes to cooking at his house. Getting away from all things cooking, I asked him what his hobbies were outside work and the culinary arts that kept him busy. His cool and collected facade is explained with his love of fixing and repairing clocks and watches as well as fishing. I guess it is good for someone involved in a fast pace career to find some hobbies requiring patience and a calm temperament.

The next time you see this guy looking around, checking up on things in the OR, say hello and maybe strike up a conversation. This guy is truly a vital part of Loyola University, so go and get to know him a bit more… You might just learn something new.